High School Student Questioned, Accused of Promoting ‘Violence’ with ‘Come and Take It’ Flag

8 May 2018

A student in California’s South Pasadena High School was questioned and accused of promoting “violence” in bringing a “Come and Take It” flag to school.

The student, Charles Li, is a member of Pasadena High School Conservatives. He wore the flag as a cape for a protest against a ban on semi-automatic weapons.

Campus Reform reports that Li was wearing the flag had an image of an AR-15 above the “Come and Take It” logo.

While meeting with school officials, an assistant vice principal accused Li of promoting “violence.” A female administrator told Li he might have “more of a right to wear it off-campus” than on campus.

Li pointed out the obvious, saying, “Yeah…it’s not an actual gun,” and refused to accept the accusation of promoting violence. He said, “Well, I’m not promoting violence. How am I promoting any violence? I don’t get how this is promoting violence, just by supporting the Constitution.”

One administrator asked Li how having the image of gun on his back could be equated with support for the Constitution and another said, “I don’t remember there being semi-automatic rifles in the Constitution.”

Li explained the historical basis for Gonzales, Texas, hoisting the “Come and Take It” flag in 1835, and at least one of the administrators conceded, but warned that the shirt could be misunderstood because, “For other people, I don’t think it says ‘support the Second Amendment.’”

Finally, after all the back and forth, Li received a warning about the wearing the flag. An administrator informed him: “If that’s something you’re going to wear during your march, that’s one thing. When you’re leaving campus, just be aware of what comes along with that, and people’s reactions to seeing a semi-automatic weapon. When you wear it as a cape, you can’t even see all the wording that’s attached to it…you just see a big gun.”

After the questions ended, administrators asked Li to surrender his cell phone so they could go through it and see what he “might possibly have on [it].”